Whole Again
by KK-Sider
Summary: "Finally, we were whole again." A KH III AU on a long-awaited reunion. Sequel to Unbreakable Connection Indeed.


**Hello, readers! KK-Sider here, and after over two years since putting up my Returning Wayfinder Trilogy, I'm finally ready to post my little epilogue for those series of one-shots! While I would normally save the author's notes for the end of my stories for this series, I wanted to bring up a few things first.**

 **First off, if you've never read any of my stories before, I would appreciate it if you don't read this story yet. While each part of my original trilogy, for the most part, were written as stand alone one-shots, this is picking up shortly after the events of my first one-shot and the start of my KH writing, Unbreakable Connection Indeed. So if you haven't read that story or you have and want to refresh yourself on how it ended, I would recommend looking at that story first.**

 **Second, originally, I was only going to post this once I finished every part of this epilogue. Ideally, I want it to be a three-shot, but with KH 3 releasing internationally tomorrow (as of the time I'm putting this up), I felt urged to put up a little bit of an epilogue for those of you that have already read my other one shots. Whether or not I put up the other two parts will depend on how many readers show interest in them. (if anyone is curious about the state of the other two parts, the first already has a rough draft written and the second is still being worked on)**

 **Third, I started writing the rough draft of this shortly after the Toy Story reveal trailer back in 2017. Because of this, none of the huge reveals shown throughout all of the 2018 trailers are a part of this story (or my past one-shots for that matter). So, no darkness-influenced Aqua, and you will hear reference to characters that aren't going to be in the same type of roles in the actual KH 3 games. So, keep in mind that this, as well as my other one-shots, are more so part of an alternate take of KH 3: back before all of the KH 3 trailers told us what sort of things to expect.**

 **Alright, with that in mind, I hope you enjoy _Whole Again._**

 **Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and Disney.**

* * *

Numb.

If I had one word to describe how I felt right now, it would be numb. But it was a very different sort of numb than what I was used to. It wasn't the tingling numbness that came from your foot falling asleep, nor was it the chilling numbness that came from trudging through a blizzard. It was a numbness that I couldn't quite put into words. This numbness… It spread throughout my body, up to my mind. It was almost as if my body was slipping away…

Slipping into the darkness…

Oh God… Was this how it felt to die?

This sudden revelation frightened me, but at the same time, it put me at ease. If my time had truly come, at least there would be no pain for me to feel. Still, this feeling of slipping made it hard for me to think, and part of me had a hard time accepting that. It was almost like I was forgetting something.

Something important. Something to live for. Something this bizarre state of limbo was keeping me away from.

Cutting into my thoughts and the numbness in my body was a sudden burning sensation. Although the numb feeling still took dominance, this sudden stinging bothered me. I attempted to move to pinpoint the source, but my limbs felt as if they were filled with lead. I tried to speak only to feel my lips struggle to open. I struggled to open my eyes which felt glued shut. After realizing I could do nothing, I decided to let my mind drift off; perhaps if I ignored this uncomfortable feeling, I could let the dark abyss of death take me and my pain could go away. Try as I might, though, it wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't it stop? I almost felt like crying, it hurt so much. Deep in my heart, I desperately wanted to scream, "Go away! Leave me alone!"

All of a sudden (in fact, so sudden I had no way to prepare myself), that light ember of discomfort exploded into a fierce blaze of agony shooting through my side to the rest of my body. A scream pierced the darkness; it took me a second to realize it was my own. My voice tapered off as I was finally able to gasp for a breath. As I struggled to gather a coherent thought, there was a sound from above me. It sounded like a voice, but what were they saying? And who was it? I once again tried to open my eyes, but a blinding light, as well as another wave of pain traveling through my side, forced me to shut them while I let out another yelp. In my brief seconds of vision, I could only make out a blurred head topped with brown hair. When I heard the voice again, sounded a bit panicked and apologetic, the part of my mind that was keeping me from drifting began putting pieces together. Brown hair, a young voice... Was that Sora? Did he know why I was suddenly in pain? What was going on? Just before the stream of questions in my mind could continue…

"What the hell are you doing?!"

… That voice! That was Terra! But, who was he yelling at? From the tone of his shouting, he sounded angry but scared as well: downright terrified, even. I hardly had time to think of answers for these questions as I suddenly felt pressure on my aggravated side get ripped away from me. While I struggled to breathe and gain my composure, I felt some strange fabric being wrapped around my torso and a strong pair of arms that I could only assume were Terra's lifting me up. Then, after a few more garbled voices spoke with each other, I could hear the sounds of heavy-falling footsteps as I was carried away.

But where was I being carried to? Which world were we in right now? Would I even be able to stay awake long enough to find out? All of these questions and more remained unanswered as I could hardly make out any coherent words being said around me. The only things I could focus on were the sounds of multiple people running, my own haggard breathing, and the slight shifting of Terra's arms and the mystery fabric around me. Lacking the strength to do anything else, I used one of my hands to grasp onto the fabric. Hopefully, focusing on this would keep me awake while I figured things out.

Soon enough, I could feel the cool air that came from an air-conditioned building. It did nothing to help me in getting my breath back, instead making me feel nauseous. I moaned, attempting to curl up only to whimper more as my side began burning once more. The grip around me tightened in a somewhat subtle fashion. As we slowed to a stop, I tried to relax my breathing. All around me, I heard different voices speak up again. In my pained haze, I was unable to make out complete sentences, but I could pick out key words. My name came up a few times, and amongst the worried tones and slight bickering, I could also make out the words "help", "please" and "die".

Oh man, I WAS dying then? My friends must be trying to save me! While the exhausted side of my mind wanted to fall back into the numb limbo I was experiencing before, I felt my fears spike. What if I actually did die once I lost consciousness? Fearfully, I clung tighter to the fabric around me as if that would keep me rooted in reality. I suddenly froze as I felt something or someone tug part of the foreign fabric away from me. Then, I cried out again as I felt something prodding my wounded side, making me aware of a strange sort of stickiness there. Wait, if my side was sticky, what did that mean? Was I bleeding? At feeling the object press harder against my side, I whimpered and squirmed in Terra's gift. Once I heard him gasp out and try to speak, another voice cut him off by saying firmly, "I'm just assessing the damage."

Wait… Did I know this voice? The haze in my mind made it difficult for me to think straight, not to mention the waves of pain going through me. As I made another involuntary squirm, I felt a hand stroke my forehead. Then, that earlier voice said, "Ventus, if you're awake right now, I need you to lie still for me."

… Ienzo? Was that him? But, I thought he and the rest of Ansem's followers were in Radiant Garden. Is that where we were? But this air didn't feel familiar to me. Did they travel to another world? Where were we?! Ienzo's hand continued to prod my side for a few seconds, and remembering what he just said, I did my best to keep still. I let out a soft groan once I felt his hand finally pull back.

As everyone continued talking about (I assume) my condition, it became more and more difficult to hold onto my consciousness. My anxiety began climbing up again as I fell back into thinking about whether or not I would die. Well, I think the only way to calm myself down is opening my eyes and finding out what was happening. After taking a moment to suck in a breath, I struggled to open my eyes for the third time. While the blinding light burned my eyes just like before, I did my best to blink the tears out of my eyes. It didn't do much to get rid of the blurriness, and there were still black spots on the edges of my vision, but at least now, the shapes in front of me were more defined. Above me, I could see Terra gazing harshly at whoever was in front of him. And while the black spots were in the way a little, I could also make out the head of blue next to him. That had to be Aqua!

At recognizing my two best friends close by, I felt my senses perk up. Suddenly, everything else – the numbness before, the pain and discomfort right now, the fear of death – none of that mattered to me. Dying or not, dream or not, I had to speak with them! I had to know we were all really here right now! Weakly, I tried to untangle myself from my strange wrappings and speak, but all that came out of me was a quiet, hoarse whisper.

"A-Aqua… Terra…"

If my mind wasn't so exhausted right now, I would've been impressed with how quickly my friends picked up on my whispers. Once Terra's name had escaped my lips, the two of them snapped their gazes towards me, shock and fear in their eyes. While they both called out my name, Terra placed me down on some strange surface. The two of them latched on to my hand, and I became petrified as I couldn't feel any warmth coming from their trembling touch: only how numb my body felt as I began to slip away again. As countless voices echoed around us, my body began trembling with theirs. While I struggled to keep my eyes open, I whimpered out, "I-I'm scared, guys…"

While I struggled to keep the tears out of my eyes, Terra's grip tightened as he said, "Sh, it's okay, Ven. They're gonna patch you up."

"Yeah, you'll be okay, Ven. I promise," Aqua told me softly. It was hard to tell if she was actually speaking that quietly or if I was beginning to doze off.

In a few seconds, a new voice which I think belonged to Even cut in, saying, "Back off, you two! We have to see to the boy's wounds!"

Back off? They had to leave?! No! Don't make them leave me! Not after how long I've been searching for them! Suddenly, I felt the surface I was on sliding me away from Terra and Aqua. I let out one final whimper, but this time, it was out of fear that I might not see them again. There was little I could do as all sounds around me became muted, my hand broke away from theirs, and the world around me faded to black once more as I lost consciousness.

0-0-0

Fuzzy.

That was the new sensation I was feeling as I started to drift back into a state of awareness. How would I describe feeling fuzzy? Well, imagine if your body was stuffed to the brim with cotton, including your brain. It was sort of like that. However you describe it, though, it made any sort of thought or movement on my part feel lethargic.

This time, there wasn't any sort of pain or discomfort in opening my eyes. But once I did, I gasped as my eyes were met with nothing. No darkness, yet no real light, either. Where was I, exactly? I took a moment to reach forward with my hand, and I was met with the sensation of light fog trickling past my fingers. Was this, perhaps, a dream?

All of a sudden, I spotted a faint light in the distance. Subconsciously, I took a few steps forward. I felt warmth coming from this light. I wonder… Would going through this light put an end to this dream? Where would I go once I did? Curious about the answer and longing to escape from this strange purgatory, I took a few more steps toward the light.

"Ventus! Wait!"

I froze, gasping at the sudden noise. Who was that? Quickly, I spun around, jumping slightly as I came face to face with someone I had never seen before. Just a couple feet away from me, standing out in this empty void was a young girl in a white dress, her flaxen hair hanging slightly past her shoulders.

"Whoa…" I mumbled softly, not sure what to make of this stranger in front of me. From the soft gaze in her blue eyes, I had a feeling that she wasn't here to hurt me. Still, why was she here? How did she know my name? And just who was she? Deciding to break the silence, I began to form a question. "Who-"

She held her hand out, silencing me before I could finish. Then, she smiled and answered the question I was about to ask, "My name is Namine."

Oh… Namine… Have I heard that name before? No, I couldn't have; I've never even seen her before. Still, some strange sense of familiarity lingered in the back of my mind. Why, though? My confused thoughts were cut off as Namine said, "It's nice to finally speak with you, Ventus, although I wish it could've been under better circumstances. I'm sure you have a lot of questions right now."

"Oh, uh, y-yeah…" I mumbled quietly, taking a moment to process her words. After realizing her formality, I perked up and added, "But, please, call me Ven."

Namine gave a small laugh before nodding, "Oh, okay then."

I gave a small smile, feeling an unseen tension in the air disappear. Once I felt her relax, I decided to bring up one of my concerns. "So, Namine, you seem to know me, even though we've never met before…"

Namine swept her gaze downward for a moment, gripping her arm gently. Although she was still smiling, her eyes seemed to tell me she was upset. Did I say something wrong? Before I could apologize, she spoke up, "Y-Yes, well… I… I once had these powers. Powers to manipulate Sora's memories and those connected to him."

Wait, Sora? She knew Sora?! Maybe that explained why her name sounded familiar, despite never meeting her until now. Upon gaining my heart back, I did have some moments – mostly at night, in my dreams – where instead of reflecting on my memories, I would suddenly remember pieces of his memories. Maybe this was one of those moments? Still, those past moments felt clearer than this. Why was this instance so… so...

Fuzzy?

I decided to put this in the back of my mind as Namine continued, "A little over a year ago, I took his memories apart, giving him a past that never even happened. I caused him so much trouble; it was something I never should've done. So, while he slept in stasis that year, I carefully put the chains of his memory back to the way they were before. While I was doing this, though, I came across a particular set of memories: memories that didn't belong to him."

"Memories that weren't Sora's?" I asked curiously. "If they weren't his, who did they belong to, Namine?"

Smiling, she finally looked up at me and replied, "I think you already know the answer, Ven."

Closing my eyes, I sighed deeply and thought about it. After a while, I realized, yeah, I knew the answer. Since my heart was with him at that point in time, I guess it would make sense that my memories would blend in with his. I wonder if Namine knew all of my memories. After a pause, I asked softly, "So, did you know then? About my heart, resting inside his?"

Namine shook her head and admitted softly, "No, not at first. All I could guess was that you and Sora shared a special connection; I didn't know how deep it went. Anyways, I guess it's because of that connection that we're able to talk right now, in this space between life and death."

"Hm, I guess I can underst…" I trailed off after processing what Namine just said. Gasping, I could feel my body begin to tremble and my anxiety shoot up. "Wait, what?! Space between life and… Oh God… Does that mean…? Namine, am I actually…?"

Before my thoughts could spiral into a full-out panic, Namine approached me, gripped my shoulders gently and said, "Ven, it's alright. I promise, you aren't dead right now."

"I-I'm not? Really?"

"Yes," she smiled, nodding quietly. She stayed right there next to me as I took some deep breaths and calmed my body. Somehow, even though I didn't really know her, Namine's silent presence was extremely calming. Once I stopped shaking, she backed off again to let me have my space, and after gathering my thoughts, I decided to ask the most prominent question in my mind. "Okay, so I'm not dead. But Namine, if I'm not dead, then why am I here?"

"Well, after you freed Terra from Xehanort's grip and you lost consciousness, your friends rushed to find someone who would be able to save you; after all, I imagine curaga spells can only heal so much damage dealt by a keyblade. They managed to get to a world where someone could help, but by that point, your body had already gone through so much trauma. Not to mention your heart and mind were weary from that battle. So, my guess is, you're here to make a choice."

I blinked back at her, a little confused. "Make a choice?"

"On whether or not you want to go back. If you want, you can go through the light behind you and pass on. Then, you'll never have to hurt or be put through any pain again; your heart can remain at peace. Or you can wake up and rejoin the living world. There, you'll have more battles to face, but you'll also have friends to help you through them. I imagine there's a lot to consider on both sides, and I can't say which choice is better. It's something you have to decide for yourself."

I soaked in Namine's words as my thoughts worked frantically to connect facts to one another. She was right; I did have a lot to consider. The muscles in my body still remembered the agony they had been there during my last moment of consciousness, and the painless embrace of death had sounded pretty inviting back then. However, Xehanort was still out there, causing trouble for the worlds. I couldn't just leave the others to face whatever twisted plans he had in mind, could I? But, if I did go back, there'd be no guarantee I'd be able to survive the next battle. Heck, maybe I wouldn't be the only person to die! What if I had to watch someone else get killed?! And, if there was the chance I'd have to see that, was that giving me more proof to choose one option over the other? If so, which one? My brain was starting to ache with all of these questions and more, tumbling through my mind. What should I do?

"Ven, can I offer you some advice?"

Blinking, I looked back over to her. From Namine's understanding smile, I couldn't help but think she knew I was struggling to make a choice. Mutely, I nodded, and she advised, "Try not to think too hard. It might be better if you make things simpler."

"Simpler? But, how?"

Namine smiled at me, her eyes twinkling with some sort of fondness, as if she were recalling a pleasant memory. "When I met Sora for the first time, I had already tampered with his memories. Although he would never admit it, I know it was hard for him to understand that the memories I had given to him weren't real, despite him feeling like they were. He probably didn't know what to do when I told him the truth: that I was never a part of his life. But, despite everything I did to him, he still wanted to help me. He told me that in his heart, he felt like we were friends, and from that point to now, and even before that point, I think he's made a lot of his decisions with that logic. So, ask yourself, Ventus, what does heart want?"

"My heart…"

I paused to think about it, although I didn't really need to. For me, it wasn't even a question. The one thing I wanted was the same thing I've wanted for roughly a decade. So, with a little bit of confidence, I responded, "Honestly, I just want to see Aqua and Terra again."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Namine said with a small laugh.

I found myself grinning back and answered, "Well, you did see my memories. I'm sure you know how important my friends are to me."

"Right."

Suddenly, I noticed another portal of light appear behind Namine: this one showing off a more pale-blue color. Gasping, I mumbled, "Hey, what's that?"

I watched Namine peek over her shoulder before she said, "Oh, I think that's your exit. Go ahead, Ven; I'm sure it will take you back to where you want to go."

"Right. Thanks," I mumbled with a nod. Slowly, I stepped past Namine, towards the light. The warmth came back into my body as I approached the portal, along with a tingling sensation that pushed the fuzzy feelings out of my mind. Yes, this is it; the portal back to the living! Smiling, I quickened my pace. However, I paused as the non-fuzzy parts of my mind reflected on my conversation with Namine: what she did to Sora, how she saw my memories, the fact that she was able to speak to me here… How did she get here, anyways? Was Namine actually dead herself? Or stuck in some sort of limbo? I had to find out before leaving this place.

I turned around and looked back at Namine, who just stared at me in confusion. She probably wondered why I had stopped. Since I had her attention, I asked, "Namine, you… You existed once, right?"

She first gasped, surprised, before recovering. Smiling sadly, she started by saying, "It's hard to say, really. To most people, Nobodies never truly exist in the first place."

Nobodies? The white things we've been fighting along with the heartless? Was she saying she used to be one of those things? Could they look like people? Continuing, Namine said, "To answer your question, yes, I did exist in your world once before. However, due to circumstances, I couldn't stay. I had to return to my original self, just like they had to. So, I did."

Her original self? What did she mean by that? And who were "they"? I struggled to put together a coherent thought to explain her cryptic words, but all my mind could come up with was that Namine used to be alive but maybe had to sacrifice herself? Admittedly, I didn't fully comprehend it, but it still left me feeling… empty. Like, she wasn't dead, but it felt to me like she actually was. And that was a bit upsetting.

"Ven? Please, don't be sad, Ven."

"Huh?" I gasped once I became aware of the stray tear rolling down my cheek. Sensing this made me realize that even if I didn't understand Namine's situation, I could still understand how wrong it was. Why did this person who was so willing to help me out of this state of limbo have to remain trapped here all alone? Why did she have to give up her life? She should be able to live her own life! She has to know that this situation isn't okay!

"No!"

Namine looked back at me in silent shock, and I continued, "That's not fair, Namine! Why do you have to give up living for someone else? You should be able to live your own life! And make your own choices!"

"Ventus…"

"If you can't make it out of here on your own, I'll find a way to get you out! After all, if Sora and I could bring Terra back after ten years of his heart being trapped by Xehanort, there has to be a way for us to bring you back, right?"

A long period of silence lingered in the air, neither of us knowing what to say. Just as I was about to speak up again, I gasped as I saw Namine start to cry. I was about to start apologizing until I saw her lips form a teary smile, and she said, "You're very kind, just like him. Thank you, Ven."

I sighed and smiled back while she wiped her tears away. Part of me wanted to assure Namine that I meant what I said and that we'd find a way to save her. Part of me also wanted to thank her for helping me in making a decision here. However, one final shared look between us seemed to say anything else that we needed to say. So, with a short wave, I said, "Well, see ya."

"Yes, see you later."

Quietly, I turned away and stepped into the light, where I felt my senses fall into a more natural slumber.

-0-0-0-

Heavy.

For some odd reason, my body felt extremely heavy now.

While I had no clue if feeling numb was better than feeling fuzzy or vice versa, I would definitely prefer both of those feelings over this. Everything in my body felt weighted down as if the gravity around me intensified. It was extremely uncomfortable to the point where I struggled to take a decent breath for a couple of seconds. Once I managed to get that, my other sense began to kick in. First was the actual air that I breathed in; it felt sterile and slightly cool. Next was the material that I was wrapped in and lying on. They were bed sheets, slick and slightly scratchy. Pairing the air and the sheets together, it felt like I was in a hospital or something. Not ready to open my eyes yet, I flexed my fingers. The mattress I was on felt a bit too stiff for my liking, but something felt weird about it. Like, I was sunken into it. How long had I been on this mattress?

Suddenly, I heard a faint voice, but I couldn't make out the words. Shortly after, though, the voice came back louder, shouting, "Terra! Come over here! He's waking up!"

Wait… That was Aqua's voice! And, did she just say, "Terra"? Well, that convinced me to finally start opening my eyes. While the sound of shuffling feet made its way to my ears, I forced my eyes to open slowly. There was no pain in opening them this time, but my head did start to throb as I blinded by the bright lights and the overwhelming amounts of white on the walls and ceiling. I waited for everything to come into focus before looking around. On either side of me were my two best friends, Terra and Aqua, with the latter standing in front of a window. From what little I could see outside the window, it seemed like this room was next to a courtyard of some kind. Looking back at my friends, I could tell they looked incredibly tired. Still, they both seemed to cheer up once I was looking back at them. Overall, I was happy, but at the same time, this felt a bit surreal. Was this actually happening? Honestly, I still felt like I was dreaming. Like, one of those dreams I had while my heart was still healing. Cutting into my thoughts was a sudden, small word.

"Hey."

I blinked back at Terra for a second, a little taken aback by the sudden noise. Still, it managed to bring me back to this current moment. I felt myself smile, pleased with this return to normalcy, even if was only for a little while. Softly, I replied, "Hey."

My throat felt hoarse from that single word; maybe I should ask for some water. Before I could, though, I heard Aqua ask me, "How do you feel?"

I glanced at her for a moment, and then I closed my eyes in thought. What sort of answer should I give her? I don't want them to be worried; maybe I should lie and say that I'm totally fine. Or was she asking about how I felt emotionally? Because if so, I wouldn't even have to lie; I was really happy. Feeling my waking headache returning to me, I gave up and responded with the first thought that popped into my head.

"Like I got hit by a truck."

There was a brief moment of hesitation that lingered before I heard Aqua give a small sigh and say, "Right, I guess you would feel that way."

I sighed and re-opened my eyes. Looking back at Aqua, I noticed the concern in her eyes, as well as the bags underneath them. Man… She looked as if she hadn't been getting any sleep. To be fair, though, I probably didn't look much better. Still, I want to ease her worries, if only a little.

"Aqua, it's okay," I started off. "The worst I'm feeling right now is a headache. Honest."

"Are you sure, Ven?"

"Mm-hm. In fact, I actually feel pretty good, since you guys are here. It feels just like those dreams I used to have."

Aqua gave me a questioning look, and I stared down at the bed sheets, feeling slightly embarrassed for admitting this to them. "I… had them all the time when my heart was sleeping. The dreams were always about us, just hanging out and talking like we used to. After a while, you guys would suddenly start walking away. I'd try to catch up, but I'd never be able to reach you. Then, I'd suddenly fall into a dark hole. My vision would fade to white, and then the dream would start all over again."

I let out a short, slightly bitter laugh as I recalled how frustrated it was to be stuck in a loop of the same repeating dream. "As much as I hated going through the same dream over and over again, it was also what kept me from going completely insane. Being able to see you guys kept me hopeful that I'd be able to wake up and see you guys for real. I just hope you guys don't suddenly walk away from me again. I don't think I'd be able to handle that right now."

Silence filled the room again with none of us saying anything. What were Terra and Aqua thinking after I said all of that? Did I make them uncomfortable? Maybe I should've just kept this to myself. Before I could apologize for bringing down the mood, I heard Terra quietly speak up again.

"Ven…"

It surprised me how quiet he sounded. I immediately turned my head to look at him. "Yeah?"

He didn't respond right away, looking down as if hiding something. I found myself scrutinizing his face. Terra wasn't acting like himself. He looked like he was struggling to find something to say, and now that I was looking closer at him, I finally saw something else in his eyes outside of the exhaustion: guilt. This confused me; what did Terra have to be guilty over? Another seemingly minor thing that added to my confusion was his hair. I might've been seeing things, but it looked longer than I remembered. In fact, if it were silver instead of brown, it would look nearly identical to the hairstyle of one of Xehanort's vessels: Xemnas, if I recall what Sora told us correctly.

Wait… Xehanort… Past memories were beginning to trickle back to me now…

I began to sit up so I could confirm what I was seeing. However, I suddenly yelped as a shock of slight pain traveled through my side. While I felt back against the mattress, I heard Terra's light gasp followed by Aqua saying, "Ven, don't push yourself! You're still healing!"

Wait… Healing?

While I kept my half-sit/half-leaned back position, I looked over to the side causing this pain. It was at this moment that I noticed something I hadn't earlier. Someone had changed my clothes while I was sleeping! My regular attire had been replaced with what looked like pale green pajamas. Looking past this, I reached my arm towards my side and placed my hand against it. It felt like my side was padded with something: gauze, perhaps. Now that I recognized it, I could feel this bandaging wrapped snuggly around my torso. Why was it there?

Suddenly, I gasped as all of the memories came flooding back to me of our last battle. The canyon. Those spells. The Key to Return Hearts. The deep dive. Terra's keyblade going through my chest. Bleeding in his arms.

"Wait… That fight… It really…?"

I was honestly floored. While many questions could've entered my mind, I was left focusing on one simple truth.

This was real.

"Yeah, it really happened."

I stared at Terra dumbly before my mind registered that he was answering my unfinished question. He continued on, explaining how Xehanort had nearly killed me while in control of Terra's body, that they took the gummi ship to another world (which one, I didn't really hear, but I did hear the word "castle" thrown in) to find someone who could help me, and then what sounded like a pre-planned apology on Terra's part. To be honest, though, his words were soaring straight over my head. All I could think of was, again, that simple truth.

This was real!

It still felt too good to be true; I had to confirm that this was really happening! So before Terra could finish mumbling the word "sorry", I propelled myself forward, not even caring that the sudden motion made my chest hurt, and flung my arms around him, pulling him towards me. I froze, using all of my sense to take this in. His muscles felt as toned as ever. His shoulder piece still held that copper gleam in the light. Even subtle things I had never been aware of before, such as his earthy scent, had a sense of familiarity.

A big smile began to form on my face. We finally found him. The three of us were together again. I felt happy tears build up in my eyes as I finally spoke up again.

"This is real… Thank goodness…" I felt something catch in my throat, causing my voice to crack as the tears I had been holding back finally rolled down my face. "I… I-I missed you so much, Terra!"

I clung onto him tighter and buried my face into his shoulder, unable to stop crying. If so many overwhelming emotions weren't going through my mind right now, I might've felt ashamed over getting so worked up or acting so childish. Regardless, if either of my friends thought I was behaving childishly, they said nothing about it. After a few seconds, I could feel Terra place his hand on my back hesitantly before returning the hug. Soon, I felt his other hand cradle the back of my head, and I could hear him whisper, "It's okay, Ven. It's alright."

I wasn't sure if he was comforting me or assuring himself that everything was fine. Still, my smile only grew as he continued to hug me. In a few more seconds, Aqua joined us, embracing the both of us while gently rubbing my back. Once I managed to calm down, we each pulled back to look at each others' joyful, tear-stricken faces. To my surprise, even Terra looked a little teary-eyed.

"Heh, so this is it, huh?" Terra stated, breaking the silence.

Aqua smiled back before replying, "Yes. It's been so long, but we're finally a team again."

Still feeling some leftover emotions, I nodded quickly before wiping my tears away. It had been over ten years. We went through so much – so many horrors that tormented us for literally years. To have all of that come to an end with us finally reunited, even I could tell that a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders.

"We won't let anything tear us apart again, right?" I asked, looking at my two friends with a small smile.

They both looked at me: then back to each other. Smiling, they turned back to me, and Aqua reached forward, placing her hand on top of my head, and answered, "Right."

Next, Terra wrapped his arms around the both of us, and echoed Aqua, "Right."

I laughed slightly before repeating, "Right."

We remained in each others' arms for quite some time, choosing to forget about the inevitable battles we'd have to face later and the questions that no doubt needed to be asked. Right now, that wasn't important. What mattered right now was that we weren't suffering anymore.

Finally, we were whole again.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this story all the way to the end! I hope you enjoyed it! At the time of posting this story, I can only hope that in the actual game, these three will be able to get their happy ending. Enjoy the rest of your day!**


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